JellyCarts guide

Things To Do on Pleasure Island

Seven miles, the Atlantic on one side and the Cape Fear on the other, and nearly everything worth doing along a single road. The top 18, ranked — with the best hour to go and the cart rules that actually matter.

Stops

18, ranked

Island

7 miles

Speed

25 mph, all of it

Looking for Wrightsville Beach instead? This list is Pleasure Island — Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Fort Fisher.Things to do in Wrightsville Beach →

How to read this list

Numbers are the ranking. Stops are grouped by where they sit, north to south, so the list doubles as a route. Drive times are from the boardwalk at cart speed.

Parking is handled. Every JellyCart carries the Town of Carolina Beach LSV pass — street-end spaces and most town lots are covered, including overnight. Kure Beach and the state sites run their own parking; it's noted on each stop below and mapped on the live parking map.

The Boardwalk & DowntownStops 1–6 · 3 min end to end

Carolina Beach Boardwalk

North Carolina's only oceanfront boardwalk: arcade, souvenir shops, and a new 10-story gondola wheel. Free live music and 9 PM fireworks on summer show nights.

Best 6–10 PM · fireworks 9 PMRides nightly 5–11 PM in season · fireworks Thursdays Memorial Day–Labor Day (a few shift to Fridays — check the town calendar)

Britt's Donuts · 1 min

Hot glazed donuts over the same counter since 1939, at 13 Boardwalk. Cash only, and the line is part of the deal.

Best right at opening, about 8:30 AMSeasonal: April–mid-Sept · daily in summer, roughly 8:30 AM–10 PM · weekends only in spring

Carolina Beach Lake Park · 2 min

A freshwater lake one block from the ocean, with the Brandy Myers Memorial Playground. Saturday farmers market, and a free movie at dusk every summer Sunday.

Market Sat 8 AM–1 PM (May–early Oct) · movies Sun at dusk through Sep 6Park open daily; no posted hours

The beach accesses · everywhere

Street-end ramps the whole length of town, many with marked cart spaces your pass covers. This is the entire reason you rented one.

Out by 10 AM, back by 4 PMOpen 24 hours

Dining and tiki bars · 2 min

Hurricane Alley right on the boardwalk, SeaWitch a block off the ocean, the Fat Pelican if you want the dive-bar version.

Best 5–9 PMKitchens vary — most run lunch through late evening in season

Surf lessons · 1 min

Tony Silvagni Surf School, downtown a block off the sand. Morning water is glassiest before the sea breeze fills in.

Best 7–10 AMLessons by booking — book a day ahead in July–August

North End & DocksStops 7–11 · 3–7 min out

Marina and charter docks · 3 min

The Canal Drive basin. Fishing charters from half-day to Gulf Stream, and town day docks — free up to 3 hours for non-commercial boats 25 feet and under.

Mornings for departures · late afternoon for the catch coming inCharters run per booking · day-dock rules: harbormaster 910-386-1492

Good Hops Brewing · 5 min

The island's brewery, on Harper Ave: patio, cornhole, and the free Trinity disc golf course out back — 9 baskets, played as 18. Dog friendly.

Best 4–9 PMDaily from noon · closes 9 PM Sun–Thu, 10 PM Fri–Sat

Federal Point History Center · 4 min

Small free museum: Snow's Cut, wartime Fort Fisher, and how the island became an island. Worth about an hour.

A midday heat or rain breakTue, Fri & Sat 10 AM–4 PM

Carolina Beach State Park

Wild Venus flytraps on the half-mile Flytrap Trail and the 50-foot Sugarloaf Dune on the three-mile loop. Free, shaded, and worth planning around.

Mornings — gates at 7 AM · free ranger flytrap hike Fri 9 AMSummer gates 7 AM–10 PM · visitor center 8–5No verified cart-legal route in — State Park Rd connects only to 45-mph Dow Rd, and whether an LSV may use park roads at all is unsettled (910-458-8206). Bring the car, or hike in on Snow's Cut Trail.

Snow's Cut Trail · 7 min

The shaded path along the waterway's island bank, under the bridge. Watch barges work the Intracoastal as the sun drops behind the mainland.

Golden hourDaylight · no posted hoursPark on the north-end street grid and walk in. The old Snow's Cut Park across the water closed for good in 2021 — ignore listings that say otherwise.

Kure BeachStops 12–14 · 8–9 min south

Kure Beach Pier & Ocean Front Park · 8 min

The oldest fishing pier on the Atlantic coast, first built in 1923. Free to walk — anglers buy a day pass. Free “Boogie in the Park” concerts at the pavilion next door.

Concerts 1st & 3rd Sundays 5–7 PM, May–OctPier open 24 hours in season (spring through late Nov)

Kure Beach accesses · 9 min

Wider, quieter sand, no high-rises, and a lower-key beach day than the boardwalk end.

Out by 10 AM, back by 4 PMOpen 24 hours · paid parking Mar 15–Sep 30, 8 AM–6 PMKure Beach parking is a separate paid program — the Carolina Beach pass on your cart does not work here.

Kure Beach dining · 8 min

Jack Mackerel's by the pier and a short strip of family places along K Ave and Fort Fisher Blvd. Slower and quieter than the boardwalk.

Best 5–9 PMVaries by kitchen — most run lunch through evening in season

The Fort Fisher RunStops 15–18 · 12–16 min south

Fort Fisher State Historic Site · 12 min

The Civil War's largest land–sea battle, with a 20,000-square-foot visitor center opened in 2024. Free admission.

Morning, right at 9 AM openingTue–Sat 9–5 · closed Sun & Mon

Fort Fisher State Recreation Area · 14 min

Miles of undeveloped shoreline at the island's southern tip: picnic tables, grills, and far fewer people.

Best 10 AM–4 PMGates daily 8 AM–9 PM in summer · free day useThe beach-driving corridor is permit-and-4WD only — carts park in the paved lot.

NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher

Closed since May 26, 2026 for a roughly 30-month rebuild — no reopening date published; late 2028 at the earliest. Listed here so you don't drive down for it.

Closed — late 2028 at the earliest

Fort Fisher–Southport Ferry · 16 min

A roughly 35-minute crossing of the Cape Fear, first come, first served. Walk on for $1 and ride back for the view, or spend the day in Southport.

Morning boat out, afternoon back · last summer return 6:15 PMSummer: departs Fort Fisher 6:15 AM–7 PM, about every 45 minNCDOT's fare table lists golf carts at $3 each way — but Southport is outside our service area, so if the cart crosses, roadside help can't follow. Most guests walk on.

Before you pull out

Two roads are closed to you. Dow Road and the Snow's Cut Bridge are posted above 35 mph, so carts can't travel them — crossing Dow at an intersection is fine. Ocean Boulevard, posted 35, is the legal east–west connector. The island works without either.

Carts stay off the sand. No cart driving on the beach anywhere on the island. Freeman Park's corridor is 4WD-with-permit only and its ordinance names golf carts as prohibited outright. The Island Greenway is bikes and feet only.

The aquarium is closed. Shut May 26, 2026 for a roughly 30-month rebuild, no reopening date published — late 2028 at the earliest. Don't make the drive.

Britt's takes cash. No cards at the donut window. There's an ATM on the boardwalk, but the line moves faster if you arrive with cash in hand.

Paid parking, two different towns. Carolina Beach enforces March 1–October 31, 9 AM–8 PM, premium lots year-round. Kure Beach runs its own program, March 15–September 30, 8 AM–6 PM. Your JellyCart's pass covers Carolina Beach's cart-marked lots and street-ends — it does nothing in Kure Beach.

Licensed driver, belts on. A valid driver's license is required, seat belts stay buckled, and headlights go on after dark. Same rules as any car.

Stuck? Just call us.

Battery, parking, a stop that turned out closed — call or text 910-999-2278 and we'll sort it out. That's what we're here for.

Best-time notes are our call, not official hours. Venue hours, event schedules, and town rules change seasonally — last checked August 2026. Confirm with the venue before making the drive for one thing. More detail: where you can drive · the two-town parking rules. · Affiliates · Terms & Conditions · Privacy